haepee



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. HARPER.

HAT SIZING MACHINE.

' Patented May 29.

In mentor.- Nathan Hat '60)",

3 SheetsSheei-. 3.

(No Model.)

N. HARPER. HAT SIZING MACHINE.

No 278,332. Patented May 29.188 3 N. PETERS. Plloio-Lllllagnphen Washinton, 11C.

- UNITED ,STA-TESJ PATENT OFFICE.

NATHANHARFER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO MARCUS W.-

ADAMS, OF SAME PLACE. I

HATQSIZING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 278,332,dated May 29,1883.

Application filed March as, res-2. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JATHAN HARPER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Newi re it appertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part-of thisspecification.

discharging mechanism, and of other special and peculiar devices, ashereinafterset'forth.

In the hat-sizing machines in use prior to my invention thehat-rollshavebeen fed to the felting-surfaces by hand. This (process, when themachine was .capable of operating on several hat-rolls at a time, hasmadeit necessary to employ one person in addition to the hat- 2 foldersto feed the hat-rolls to themachine,

and a number of other helpers'were also'generally necessary to returnthe hat-rollsfrom the felting-surfaces to the folders. By my inventionthe machineitself is made the feeding t and returning agent, and thefolders are enabled to supply the hat-rolls'to the machine andreeeivethem from the same without leaving their position at thefolding-table,while the number of rolls that may be operated on at onetime is only limited by the size of the machine and the number offolders employed. 1, This device, therefore, entirely supersedes and borof feeding, and making it necessary either touse a double machinewithdouble sets of folders and feeders or to employ additional hands tocontinually carry the hat-rolls back to the end of the machine fromwhich they originally started. In my machine the felting-surfaces are ormay be constructed and 5 arranged so that the hat-rolls can make theentire circuit of the felting-belt under-the operation of thefelting-surfaces and be discharged at the same point or. end of themachine as that at which they entered. This feature of my inventiontherefore utilizes the v The object of this invention is to facilitate15 and improve the operation of sizing or felting" hat-bodies by meansof automatic feeding and whole surface of the felting-belt and increasesthe capacity of the machine, while it dimin ishes the amount of feedingand entirely dispenses with the hands employed for returning 6 thehat-rolls. The peculiar construction and arrangement of myfelting-surfaces and their relation to and coaction one with anotherproduce, in combination with the other features described,.a superiorand more-uniform quality of hats, as well as a much larger quantity,than the machines previously in use.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of partshereinafter set forth, shown, and finally embodied in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, embodied in three sheets, inwhich similar let' ters referto similar parts, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is aplan of a portion of my improved machine, showing more particularly thefeeding and returning tables or belts and their relation to thefelting-surfaces. Fig. 2 is a section of the same, taken through theline 2/; and Fig. 3 is asectional view'of the machine as a whole. Figs.4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 show some ofthe modified forms which may be employedinthe ma-. chine. I

In carrying outfmy invention my machine is or may be constructed asfollows A is a tank for holding water or other felting-liquid, which maybe heated by any of the usual means. To the sides of the tankare securedthe disks B B,'which, with the tank, support the various felting-rollsand other devices hereinafter set forth. Between said disks are 5 drums,pulleys, or rollers D D, one or both of which revolve in adjustablebearings q, Fig.1, similar to those shown in Fig. 2, and which are usedto move the said drumsnearer to orfarther from each other, and therebycontrol. the ten- .sion and flexibility of the endless felting-belt g.The said endless felting belt or apron travels over and receives itsmotion from the said drums and forms one of the feltingsurfaces. Thesaid felting-belt is or may be made ot'indiarubber or of any othersuitable material or combination of materials, and may have its surfaceeither plain, ribbed, ridged, fluted, embossed, corrugated, or slattedin any form or direction and with any material that may be preferred.The said belt is or may be sustained between the drums 1) D by a seriesof rollers, F, which rollers may be of any desired size and consist ofany number. The drums D D are or may be caused to revolve by means ofgears m or any other suitable means. connection 'with said felting belt,and at an appropriate distance therefrom, I construct a cooperatingfelting bed or surface, which surrounds or which almost surrounds theentire surface of the said felting-belt. Thisencircling or nearlyencircling of the felting-belt with a co-operating felting-bed makesevery part of the surface of said belt available and operative at thesame time, and therebylargely increases the efficiency of said belt andthe productive capacity ofthe machine. I prefer, for general purposes,to construct the said cooperating felting bed or surface as follows: Aseries of rollers, G, having their ends in the radiating slots 19 indisks B, are adjusted around the beltg at an appropriate distancetherefrom to form a felting-chamber for the passage of the hat-rolls, asshown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The said slots form guides and bearings forthe said rollers, which are each free to move therein independently ofthe others, either toward or from the surface of said felting-belt, asthe size and pressure of the hat-rollsin their passage through the saidfelting-chamber may require. Instead of the said rollers, I may useindependent slats arranged in the same way and having the same inwardand outward movement toward or from the felting-belt. These slats may beof any shape desired. Instead of either slats or rollers, thefelting-bed may consist of a flexible slatted apron, as shown in Fig. 4,the slats of which may be of anyshape and secured to the said apron bythe usual means in any position. Knobs or other protuberances may alsobe used on said apron, either in combination with or instead of'the saidslats; or the said bed may consist of the said flexible aprononly,without any" attachments to its surface, as indicated in Fig.6,-and this last form,being without slats, is yielding and flexible ineverydirection, and in certain cases preferable to either of thepreceding forms, in that it is more pliant, soft, and yielding, andconsequently better adapted to the felting of the hat-bodies in theirearly stages. In arranging the said felting -bed I prefer to have itcommence atone end of the machine and continue around the felting-beltnearly to the point at which it commenced, as shown in Fig. 3, therebyenabling the hatrolls to traverse the entire circumference of thefelting-belt under the action of the felting-surfaces, and, without theaid of the feeding devices, to continue making their revolutions aroundsaid belt without removal as many times as may be desired. Thisdisposition of the felting-surfaces enables the operator to give to thehat-rolls,each time they are introduced. the precise amount of work theyrequire before removal. It also increases the productiveness of themachine,while it diminishes the work of feeding to the lowest point, andas the hat-rolls aredischarged from the machine at the same place asthat at which they entered, the employment of hands for carrying thehat-rolls from one end of the machine to the other is thereby entirelydispensed with. The said cooperating felting-bed is or may be surroundedwith pressing-bands p, which I- prefer, because of its peculiarflexibility and durability, to construct of metallic chain, asillustrated in Fig. 8. Each band is or may be provided with one or moresprings to afford the requisite elasticity. The said springs may consistof india-rubber or of spirally-wound wire, or any other suitablematerial,and may be attached to either or both ends of said bands, or toany intermediate part thereof. Said pressing-bands are or may be securedto pulleys on rod 0, whichrod may be provided with a ratchet andpawl,tolengthen or shorten said bands, and therebyincrease or decreasethe pressure on said felting-bed to suit.the different stages of thefelting process. The rollers or slats, or other elements forming theupper portion of said felting-bed, may, if

desired, be upheld or uplifted by springs of sufficient force to balanceor neutralize the weight of said elements, thereby releasing thehat-rolls from all pressure at every part of the felting-circuit, exceptthe precise amount applied by the operator to the pressing-bandsp. Theaction of said springs in thus neutralizing the weight of thepressing-bands and of the said upper parts of the felting-bed enablesthe pressure to he graduated to the lightest degree and adapts themachine to the very finest as well as to the coarser grades of goods.The said springs may be composed of metal, indiarubber, or of any othersuitable material, and be applied in any manner, either underneath orabove the said upper portion of the felting- Springs have heretoforebeen used in con-- nection with felting-slats, to increase the pressureof the latter upon the l1at-rolls--a function directly the opposite ofthat forwhich I employ them, and arranged to operate in a differentmanner.

At or nearth'e opposite end of themachine to that at which the hat-rollsare usually introduced, as indicated in outline in 3,I construct ormayconstruct an additional opening in thefelting-bed toallow the hats intheir .early or tender stages to be discharged from the machine withoutmaking more than half' the circuit of the felting-belt. By this arrange?ment the hats, when desired, can also be passed through the lower orsubmerged section of the 1 felting-surface only without passing throughthe upper or dry section, or through the dry section onlywithout thelower or submerged 1 felting-bed with the lower section. The lid orconnecting-piece may be hinged or pivoted at said opening, as shown bythe1dotted lines, Fig. 3, or adjusted in any other way for the purposedesired. The said lid or connectingpiece forms, when closed, acontinuation of the felting'bed, and may be provided with rollers orslats or other felting elements on its inner surface, the same as anyother portion of the felting-bed. The use of the said connectingpiece isnot confined to the form of machine herein described, but may also beapplied .to

avariety of other machines to unite the upper section of thefelting-surfaces with the lower section, thereby making each sectioncontinuous to and with the other, and enabling the hat-rollsto traversethe circuit or length-of both sections with oncefeeding only.

To keep the felting-surfaces fed to their fullest capacity, and todispense entirelywith the employment of hands bothforfeedin'g and forcarrying the hat-rolls, as hereinbefore stated,

I construct an automatic feeding and returning device, which is. or maybe composed as shown in the drawings, Fig. l, or in anyother form thatmay bepreferred. In the drawings the upright a, side pieces, I), andadjustable bars 0 constitute the frame for said device.

"The said adjustable bars 0 are or maybe pivoted near their outer endson shaft d, and their inner ends may rest on pins or otheradjustablesupports near the felting-surfaces. By raising or loweringthese supports the said bars may be elevated or depressed at their innerCh I Similar bearings, d*, Fig. 1, are also pro vided for the roller ordrum m and secured to the'disks BB, The rollers h and f are connected byan endless belt,.n, whichcarriesthe hat-rolls from the felting-surfaces,and the rollbars 0.

end of said guide.

lar belt, 0, which carriesthe hat-rolls toward the saidfelting-surfaces. 1 These belts may be made of'india-rubber, textilematerial, or any other substance suitable to forma carryingsurface forthe hat-rolls. Said belts, .when traveling on the said rollers or drums,form movable conducting-tables, and are or may be supported by a seriesof intermediate rollers, w, to prevent them from sagging. The adjustablebearings d d d perform a threefold function They support the rollers ordrums h, h, and m, adjust the tension of the belts 0 and 12, and alsoenable the saidbelts to be moved nearer to or farther from thefeltingsurfaces. The rollers h, h, andm maybe operated by gear-wheelsIn, k, and m, Fig. 3, or by belts or other usual means.

Behind or in juxtaposition to the roller It, I construct an adjustableguide, 8, by arranging a board or other suitable device in such aposition as to guide or conduct the hat-rolls off and lromthebelt n,which carries them from the felting-surfaces to and on the belt 0, whichcarries them toward the said surfaces. The method herein shown ofconstructingand arranging this guide-piece (but to which I do not limitmyself) is to suspend the saidguiides on the pivots t, which have theirbearings in the I may securea cross-piece, a, against the upright a andbeneath said guide, which cross-piece may'he provided with an adjusting-screw, 1), adapted to raise or lower the free I may, should"I desire,do away with the guide and so arrange the belts as that the rolls willfall from the upper belt and be received by the lower.

I am aware that various modifications and changes can be made in theconstruction and arrangement of the feedingand other portions ofthemachine to adapt it to the various and ICO special circumstances underwhichit may be i used, such as thelcharacteristics of thefelting-surfaces and their relation to each other and to the body of themachine, the construction and arrangement of .the feeding and returningdevices and their relations to the felting-surfaces and to thehat-folders, 850.; and

therefor'el do not wish to limitmyself to the arranged parallel with thesides of the feeding-belts, attended by the requisite number of hands tofold the hats and make them up into rolls. Each folder is provided withfrom eight to twelve hat-bodies, or'sufficient to form two rolls. Assoon as the folders have madeup one roll each they lay them down infront of ers h andm are likewise connected byasimi-l them on theupperbeltm. These hat-rollsare then carried by said belt to thestop-piece or guides, along which they descend to the belt 0, by whichthey are carried to the feltingbelt 9 and deposited between thefelting-surfaces. By the motion of the said felting-belt they are nowcarried forward between the said felting-surfaces until they have madethe cir cult of the felting-bed, lrom which they are now taken by thebelt a and carried outward to the folders. While the first series ofrolls have been making this circuit the folders have prepared the secondseries, and as soon as each of the said first series has arrived at itsoriginal startingplace it is or may be taken from the belt by the samefolder who placed it there, and the second series is deposited toundergo a similar operation. continually repeated with the two series ofhat-rolls until the sizing operation is completed. As soon as thehat-bodies are sufficiently hardened to admit of it, the rolls are ormay be allowed to make two or more entire circuits of thefelting-surfaces and feeding mechanism before removal, the speed of themachine being adjusted to the ability of the folders to supply thehat-rolls, so that noneof their time is lost.

If desired, the hatrolls can beplaced on the belt 0 instead of belt a,and be thereby carried directly to the felting-surfaces; but in generalpractice I prefer the former method.

From theforcgoing description of the machine and its operations it willbe clearly seen that the hat-rolls, when introduced to the machine or tothe carrying-belts, can traverse the entire circuit of the felting-beltand feltingsurfaces as many times as may bedes'ired without removal;that the entire surface of the felting-belt, except the point at whichthe hats are introduced, is made available for felting purposes that themachine can be fed to its full capacity and a large number of rolls bekept constantly under the operation of the felt ing-surfaces, and thatall the feeding and carrying of the hat-rolls by hand-labor is entirelydispensed with. r

1 disclaim herein anything which is set forth in Patent No. 237,269,granted to me February 1, 1881, for felting or hat-body-sizing machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I clainnand wish to secure byLetters Patent, is

2. In a hat-sizing machine, a felting-bed hav-' -ing' an additionalopening at the opposite end or side to that at which the hats areusually introduced, said opening being provided with an adjustable lidor connecting-piece adapted to close the same.

3. In a hat-sizin g machine provided with an This process is opening ateach end for the admission or for the discharge of the hat-rolls, anadjustable lid, door, or connecting-piece adapted to close one of saidopenings when desired to enable the hat-rolls to. traverse the entirecircuit of the felting-surfaces before removal.

4. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of an endless felting-belttraveling on pulleys or rollers, with a stationary co-operatin gfelting-bed, consisting of a yielding flexible apron or blanket entirelysurrounding said feltingbelt except at the point where the hat-rolls areintroduced to said felting-belt.

5. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination ers or slats upon thefelting-fabric, as set forth.

7. In a hat-sizing machine, a feeding mechanism adapted to convey thehat-rolls or hatbodies from the folders to the feltingsurfaces.

8. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of the feltingsurfaces, witha discharging mechanism adapted to take or convey the hatrolls from thesaid felting-surfaces to the folders or other parts desired.

9. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination,

of afeeding and discharging mechanism adapted to convey the hat-rollsfrom the-folders to A the felting-surfaces and from the felting-snrfacesto the folders.

10. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of a feeding anddischarging mechanism constructed and arranged so that the hat-rolls,when supplied to either mechanism, will be conveyed to thefelting-surfaces. V

11. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of afeeding and adischarging mechanism constructed and arranged so that the hat-rollsvplaced thereon will-be conveyed to the felting,

surfaces and will continue to traverse said surfaces and said mechanismas many times as may be desired without removal.

12. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of the felting-surfaceswith a feeding belt adapted to convey the hat-rolls from the folders tosaid felting-surfaces.

13. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of the feltingsurfaces witha traveling belt adapted to take or remove the hat-rolls from saidfelting-surfaces and convey them; to the folders.

14. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of a traveling belt adaptedto convey the hatrolls to the felting-surfaces with a traveling beltadapted to take or remove the hat-rolls from the said surfaces.

15. In a hat-sizing machine, a feeding-belt actuated by drums or rollersarranged and adapted to causethe hat-rolls to travel to a point wherethey will come under the. operation of the felting-surfaces. j

16. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of an endless felting-belttraveling on pulleys or rollers with an endless feeding-belt adapted tofeed the hat-rolls to said feltiug-belt.

17. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of an endless felting beltwith an endless discharging-belt adapted to .take or remove thehat-rolls from the said felting-belt.

18. In a hat-sizing machine,the combination I of an endless felting-beltwith an endless feeding-belt and an endless discharging-belt, for thepurpose set forth.

19. In a hat-sizing machine, a feeding and a discharging belt or apronconstructed and arranged at the same end of said machine.

20. In a hat-sizing machine, a feeding and a discharging belt or apron,one of said belts being above and over or approximately over the other.

21. In a hat-sizing machine provided with feeding and dischargingmechanism, a guide or connecting device adapted to guide or convey thehat-rollsfrom the one mechanism to the other.

22. In a hat-sizin g machine, the combination of the feeding-belt orband with adjustable bearings adapted to graduate the tension of saidbelt.

23. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of the feeding mechanismwith adjustable bearings adapted to movesaid mechanism nearer to orfarther from the felting-surfaces.

of the discharging belt or bands with adjustable bearings adapted tograduate the tension of said belts.

26. In a hat-sizing machine provided with feeding or dischargingmechanism, adjustable supports adapted to raise or lower the inner endof said mechanism to its appropriate relalation to the felting-surfaces.

27. In a hat-sizing machine, feeding or discharging mechanism a'rrangedupon pivotal bearings that adapt said mechanism to be raised or loweredto its appropriate relation to the felting-surfaces.

28. In a hat-sizing machine, the combination of the felting-surfaceswith adjustable bars a, belt n, and roller f, arranged and adapted forthe purpose set forth.

29. In a hat-sizin g machine, the combination of belts n 0, drums orrollers f h h in, and guide .9, arranged and adapted for the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this25th day of March, 1882.

NATHAN HARPER.

Witnesses I CHARLES H. PELL, OHAs. T. WINTERS.

